Picasso and Gentileschi

Fascinating works by two giants of art history are on display at the Walker. 'Mother and Child' (1905), a delicate and tender watercolour of his lover by a young Pablo Picasso and 'Jael and Sisera' (1620), a dramatic and striking biblical scene by Artemisia Gentileschi, are on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, in Budapest.

'Mother and Child' was produced during a significant phase in Picasso’s early career, when he experimented with different techniques and styles. The painting is on display alongside three pieces from the Walker’s own collection: a drawing, 'Pau Cucurny with a dog', and two Picasso prints, showing how his style developed.

Painted three centuries earlier, 'Jael and Sisera' by Artemisia Gentileschi is a tense scene depicting the murder of Canaanite general Sisera at the hand of Old Testament heroine Jael. The macabre painting is a great example of the dramatic works that made Gentileschi the most celebrated female painter of her day and a modern feminist heroine.

About the loan

Both paintings are on loan to the Walker Art Gallery as part of a reciprocal agreement. The Walker’s 'Landscape with gathering of the ashes of Phocion' by Nicolas Poussin and 'The Murder' by Paul Cézanne are on loan to the ‘Cézanne and the Old Masters’ exhibition, on show at the Museum of Fine Art, Budapest until 17 February 2013.